IMPORTANT! Anyone UNDER 18 must have their parents approval
to participate in this service. nowplayingaustin.com
reserves the right to edit submissions for grammar, style and accuracy. We may also choose to
omit any profile at our discretion.

The mission of the Vortex Repertory Company is to create and present new and innovative performances, to transgress conventional theatrical forms, to cultivate new relationships between artists and audiences, to generate new audiences through outreach to special constituencies, to nurture diversity of Vortex artists, to foster educational programming, and to anchor the Vortex.

The mission of the Vortex Repertory Company is to create and present new and innovative performances, to transgress conventional theatrical forms, to cultivate new relationships between artists and audiences, to generate new audiences through outreach to special constituencies, to nurture diversity of Vortex artists, to foster educational programming, and to anchor the Vortex.

This project is funded and supported in part by a grant from the Texas Commission on the Arts and in part by the City of Austin Economic Growth & Redevelopment Services Office/Cultural Arts Division believing an investment in the Arts is an investment in Austin’s future. Visit Austin at NowPlayingAustin.com.

Upcoming Events

Past Events

Wail

Gale Theatre Company and The VORTEX present Wail, a new devised performance.

What makes a great tragedy? High hopes? Hard luck? Harrowing, inevitable fate? Gale Theatre Co. set out to explore the secrets of tragedy and, along the way, made a play about it. Part hero’s journey and part never ending stair case, Wail asks the...

Ode to the Elements Forever - A Joyous Dance Event

Experience a vibrant cornucopia of sight, sound, color, and feeling! Ode to the Elements Forever features a cast of 25 local artists and is based on original music and dance from a previous production done in Austin 25 years ago titled "Ode to the Elements." This show celebrates the unique performing arts of Austin. If you love the...

Arsenic and Old Lace

Different Stages opens its 2013-2014 season with the classic comedy Arsenic and Old Lace. Drama critic Mortimer Brewster must deal with his crazy, homicidal family and local police in Brooklyn as he debates whether to go through with his recent promise to marry the woman he loves. His family includes two spinster aunts who have taken to...

A Raisin in the Sun

UpRise! Productions proudly presents Lorraine Hansberry’s A Raisin in the Sun for 3 weeks only at The VORTEX, directed by Laurie Carlos, one of America’s seminal theatre artists. Produced in association with VORTEX Repertory Company.

Austin Community Drum Circle

X8 Drums, Austin-based musical instrument manufacturer has partnered with 3 other local businesses to host a free facilitated community drum circle on Wednesday, July 24th at 7:00 pm at the Vortex Theater located at 2307 Manor Road in Austin. This is a free and family friendly event. Drums will be available for those who do not have them....

Qualities of Starlight

VORTEX Repertory Company presents Qualities of Starlight by Gabriel Jason Dean (see bio below)—an award-winning twisted comedy about the expansion of the universe and the contraction of a troubled family. Previously produced in workshop productions in Atlanta and Washington D.C, Qualities of Starlight now debuts at The VORTEX in its...

Cleavage Chronicles Presents..Everybody Loves Boobs!

Everybody Loves Boobs!, is a live stage production celebrating women and their breasts. The cabaret- style, multi-media, dramatic comedy explores the form and function of breasts with special performances by the Class Act tap dancers and burlesque dancer Ruby Joule of The Jigglewatts. The stories illustrate the uniquely individual and...

Yule Bazaar

Join local artisans and entertainers for some low-pressure last chance shopping. Unique gifts and lots of hand made goods. Santa will be here, so BYO camera! Kid -friendly Yule ceremony opens the event at noon on Saturday. And of course, the lovely Butterfly Bar will be open so you can enjoy holiday libations!

E.A.S.T at the VORTEX

The VORTEX and CHULA present two weekends of visual and performing arts for East Austin Studio Tour.
• Visual and multimedia artists present their work in The Butterfly Bar and in The VORTEX Yard.
• Free Costume Closet. The VORTEX has purged its costumes and there are hundreds and hundreds of fabulous items up for grabs!...

WATER @ The Vortex

VORTEX Repertory Company announces the world premiere of WATER
Get Ready to Be Wet!

WATER is next in The Elementals series that Bonnie Cullum has been crafting with VORTEX Repertory Company for several years (AIR and FIRE). In September, VORTEX artists flood the stage with actual water and shimmering...

Commedia of Errors

High comedy meets classical text, providing a fresh new approach to Shakespeare. This summer, Summer Youth Theatre presents Commedia of Errors, a 2010 adaptation of Shakespeare’s Comedy of Errors. This clever mash-up of Commedia dell'Arte, contemporary comedy, and Shakespeare was previously performed in New York City. Commedia is a...

Disco Classical

Disco Classical is an innovative showcase combining eclectic East Side charm with popular dance music and dance-inspired classical music.

Have you ever heard a brass quintet merged with the sounds of a video game? Or saxophones, percussion, and piano played simultaneously? Curious about the relationship between pop and classical music?...

Fools Follies

Join The VORTEX in celebration of The Fool this April Fool's Day! We are committed to Keep Austin Foolish! The Fool plays tricks, the Fool surprises us, the Fool challenges our prejudices, the Fool invites us to take risks and begin anew.

Hip Hop Theater Explosion

Following the explosive success of For Colored Girls Who Have Considered Suicide When The Rainbow Is Enuf, UpRise! Productions revives the Hip Hop Theater Explosion to finish out their Black Voices Series: A Celebration of the African-American Spirit.

The Mutt-Cracker

Get ready to ring in the New Year with a fabulously fun show for All Ages. Circus Dogs, Performing Parrot, World Class Juggling and Unicycling, Live Accordion, Giant Bubbles, Rope Tricks, Puppets. Featuring Steve Wiswell and Aleta Neill.

Yule Bazaar

An artisan faire and celebration of Yule
The VORTEX and Tejas Web present Yule Bazaar, an artisan faire with unique gifts. Join us at The VORTEX to enjoy Yule Bazaar, a family friendly celebration of the ancient holiday of Yule and the Winter Solstice. Yule Bazaar is a low-pressure shopping occasion with the crafty wares...

Monday Movies Under the Stars @ The Vortex

Monday, December 5 National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation (1989)
It's Christmas time and the Griswolds are preparing for a family seasonal celebration, but things never run smoothly for Clark, his wife Ellen and their two kids. Clark's continual bad luck is...

Sarah Silver Hands

Sarah Silver Hands conjures a dark faery tale world, revolving around the Cornucopia Tree and telling the story of Princess Sarah of the Autumn Kingdom. Discover how Sarah receives her magical Silver Hands. Will the Winter Witch, Spyril, succeed in her evil plots against the Autumn Kingdom? Will Sarah triumph with the help of The Autumn...

Bikini Beach Party: The Last Gasps of Summer

After endless days of 100-degree heat, we embrace the last gasps of summer with a giant romp in our bikinis. Fabulous Prizes for winners in the Swimsuit Competitions (all genders). Kid-friendly! Water Balloon toss! Ice Cold Beer! Awesome fun!
Featuring live surf and ska music with:

For Colored Girls Who Have Considered Suicide When The Rainbow Is Enuf

UpRise! Productions and VORTEX Repertory Company present a vibrant new production of Ntozake Shange’s award-winning play, For Colored Girls Who Have Considered Suicide When the Rainbow Is Enuf , opening Thursday, August 25 at 8 pm. Talkback sessions with the director, Zell Miller, III, will be held on Friday nights after the...

VORTEX: Movies Under the Stars

Enjoy Free movies under the stars outdoors in The Yard at The Vortex. Enjoy drinks and treats from The Butterfly Bar before and after the show. Themed dressing for each movie encouraged! Wednesday nights. October schedule here.

This project is funded and supported in part by a grant from the Texas...

Monday Movies Under the Stars: Celebrating Summer Americana

This July at the VORTEX, celebrate Summer Americana with 3 great movies:

Monday, July 11: Independence Day (1996)
When the aliens attack and invade, our American heroes lead the way with their will to survive. Directed by Roland Emmerich, and starring Will Smith, BillPullman, and Jeff Goldblum.

Summer Youth Theater: The Phycisits

This summer, SYT presents The Physicists, a dark comedy written in 1961 by Swiss playwright, Friedrich Dürrenmatt. Three mad scientists--Isaac Newton, Albert Einstein, and Johann Wilhelm Möbius--hold court in an insane asylum atop the Swiss Alps. As nurses begin turning up dead, a police inspector and a venerated psychiatrist join...

Lear

In an age when women hold more power and in a time when the media turns the private into the public a mother divides her empire among her daughters. As her world crumbles and her family turns its back on her, can she face the storm and find love, forgiveness, and peace? A Celtic legend made into a Renaissance masterpiece, The VORTEX now...

Hip-Hop Theater Explosion

This is it Austin, Texas, the last time to catch the Hip-Hop Theater Explosion hosted by Zell Miller, III. This amazing show features some of the best spoken-word artists, dancers, and MC's this city has ever produced. Presented by UpRise! Productions and The VORTEX.

Since it began in 2008, the Hip-Hop Theater Explosion has presented...

1st Annual Garden Party

Go GREEN for St. Patricks day at The VORTEX! Join us for a community planting of butterfly vines & flowers in the beautiful VORTEX yard and help us become a nationally recognized Butterfly Sanctuary. We will have LIVE MUSIC, fresh squeezed mimosas, and a garden party hat contest at our rockin’ spring celebration! Bring your friends,...

The After-Hour

The VORTEX and UpRise! Productions present The After-Hour, a new late-night performance series curated by award-winning artist Zell Miller, III. This month The After-Hour sends shouts out to Black History Month. This musical, poetic, interactive performance piece features a tribute to...

The Elementals: AIR

The Elementals: AIR celebrates the gifts and stories of Air through dance, song, poetry, and sacred intention. AIR features aerial dance, live music, poetic narrative, and illuminating imagery on a multi-level playground. Environmental themes focus on the precious Elemental Forces of Air. Spirits of the Air include Eagle, Butterfly, Sylph,...

CircX VorteX: Circus 4 the People

CircX VorteX is an inclusive, multi-disciplinary arts initiative that blends circus arts, performance, and vaudevillian style into a delightful event for all ages. This special edition of CircX VorteX is presented as a Happening for the East Austin Studio Tour. CircX VorteX is a FREE event, made possible by VORTEX Repertory Company and by the...

World Hoop Day Electric Hoop Jam

Bring your own or borrow a complimentary hoop, provided by Hullaba Loola. Legendary Austin Hoopers Laura Scarborogh and Ciara Blossom will be headlining the event. Shake what your mama gave ya to sweet tunes, provided by live DJs Happy Happy James Experience and...

Circus School Me!

CircX VorteX & Sky Candy invite you to a FREE event to check out all of the weekly classes available at The VORTEX! The day will entail interactive workshops and performances in Aerial Arts with Sky Candy, Hoop Dance with Cedar Stevens, Yoga Pilates with Elizabeth Doss, and Fire-Arts and Tarot with Baruzula. Take as many workshops as you...

You Can’t Take it With You

VORTEX’s Summer Youth Theatre presents You Can't Take It with You, a comedy by George S. Kaufman and Moss Hart. You Can't Take It with You presents the world of an extraordinary family who live a celebration of individuality. Like a string of firecrackers, this play unfolds with sparkling surprises and jewels of non-conformity, honoring...

CircX VorteX

Bring the whole family to the VORTEX’s special Father’s Day Family Carnival. Fun for all ages! Enjoy family performances, such as father and daughter duet musical acts, puppet shows, and hula-hooping clowns. Wacky activities include: water balloon toss, coffee-bean sack race, arts & crafts, and much, much more - the perfect...

Father's Day Family Carnival

Bring the whole family to the VORTEX’s special Father’s Day Family Carnival. Fun for all ages! Enjoy family performances, such as father and daughter duet musical acts, puppet shows, and hula-hooping clowns. Wacky activities include: water balloon toss, coffee-bean sack race, arts & crafts, and much, much more -...

CircX VorteX: Circus 4 the People

CircX VorteX is a new circus arts collective, based out of East Austin’s newest circus arts hub, The VORTEX. CircX VorteX is a FREE event, run entirely from funds donated by gracious patrons. Audiences are encouraged to participate with the circus by dressing in costume, bringing their hula-hoops, and supporting local artists with loud...

Special Needs (The Positively True Adventures of a Special Education Teaching Assistant)

Rob Nash is pleased to present the debut of his newest one-man comedy, Special Needs. Special Needs is a heart-warming, funny, compassionate, and rigorously honest look at caring for students with special needs. Actor and writer, Rob Nash explores the lives of disabled students, as well as the roles of faculty, administrators,...

Think Outside the Bomb National Tour

Think Outside the Bomb's National Tour is coming to Austin to spread awareness of the devastating effect of the nuclear industry and to build a movement for nuclear abolition. Despite receiving a noble prize for his vision of a nuclear-free world, Obama's Administration proposes to spend $180 billion to quadruple the US nuclear weapons building...

The Wife of Bath’s Tale

This fresh, bright adaptation of The Wife of Bath’s Tale from Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales, offers a modern twist on an old tale. The Wife of Bath’s Tale blends a contemporary character and setting with clever video, original illustrations and music, a splash of Middle English, and a sprinkling of time-travel. Insightful and...

Maternal Instincts Project

The 2nd Annual Maternal Instincts Project is an ongoing play-project produced and directed by Holly Rutherford. The performance is based on the stories and memoirs of women and mothers with varying cultural backgrounds, who have vastly differing experiences, and who are in different stages of life. The play features the stories of motherless...

The Resident Artists’ Workshop

R.A.W. Theatre provides a casual café environment for artists and art enthusiasts to meet over a drink and share works-in-progress. Participants are included in the creative process by performing readings of new material and sharing constructive criticism and support. This monthly event -...

Beltane May 1 Celebration

Join with Tejas Web to celebrate Beltane and leap toward your Love and Desire!
We will gather with the Fae to celebrate Love and Desire in all their manifestations! Previous magical knowledge is not required. Instruction will be provided for Maypole Dancing.

The Faery Masque Ball

You are cordially invited by the Faeries & The Royal Court of the Kingdom of Avalia to The Faery Masque Ball. Come dressed as your favorite Faery, Magical Spirit, or Beltane Reveler. Prizes for outstanding costumes.

Sleeping Beauty

Due to the tremendous response and sold out houses, VORTEX will extend the run of Sleeping Beauty for one extra weekend, May 6-8 at 8pm and a Mothers’ Day Matinee on Sunday, May 9 at 3pm. This production is accessible for all ages.

Zero Libertad

Texas Performance Labs proudly presents Zero Libertad, an inter-modal arts guerilla-pop spectacle that channels war-survivor Zero Libertad’s life while entangled in the Contra Conflict of Nicaragua. Performed and written by Alana Macias and directed by Heather Barfield. Macias portrays Zero Libertad, performing betwixt and between the...

Interactive Magic & Comedy Show

International Magician, Matias of Chile, will have you on the edge of your seat with his suspenseful and interactive Magic & Comedy Show. This spectacular event creates a magical atmosphere of wonder and mystery, where fantasy becomes reality. Experience the Impossible and Let It Amaze You!

Magician Matias

International Magician, Matias of Chile, will have you on the edge of your seat with his suspenseful and interactive Magic & Comedy Show. This spectacular event creates a magical atmosphere of wonder and mystery, where fantasy becomes reality. Experience the Impossible and Let It Amaze You!

Xephyra

Award-winning artists Chad Salvata and Jo Beth Henderson have created the newest ethos adventure, Xephyra, an alternative world music and video mythos. This non-traditional performance is presented with video images and live music. The extraordinary vocals are performed in an imaginary language of a mythic tribal island world.

Brigid Faire

This February, Tejas Web will hold the 7th Annual Tejas Web Brigid Faire. The Brigid Faire is a fundraiser for Tejas Web, an inclusive web of allies operating within the Reclaiming tradition of eco-feminist earth-based magic.
Midway through the Faire, at 2pm, Tejas Web will hold a public Brigid Ritual. Brigid is the tri-fold Goddess of...

To Serve Man: Dubstep Sci Fi Screening & Dance Party

To Serve Man is a multi-media event, inspired by the classic Twilight Zone episode, 'To Serve Man'. From NYC, now local Dubstep DJ Lord Pyro will be spinning a live 90-minute DJ (re)mix of his To Serve Man EP with some of the latest in cutting edge dubstep tracks, paired with clips from classic '50's Sci-Fi films and television shows, such as,...

arrhythmia

VORTEX Repertory Company and UpRise! Productions proudly present the world premiere of the newest hip-hop theater performance piece written and directed by award-winning playwright, Zell Miller III. arrhythmia examines love, in all of its ugliness and splendor.
This urban odyssey utilizes elements of hip-hop, contemporary movement, and...

R.A.W. Theatre

R.A.W. Theatre provides a casual café environment for artists and art enthusiasts to meet over a drink and share works-in-progress. Participants are included in the creative process by performing new material and sharing constructive criticism and support. This monthly event - part workshop, part open-mic - is meant to develop new...

PROMISED LAND: A Radical Queer Revival

PROMISED LAND is the story of one queer Latino boy's search for love, liberation, and a working toilet in the Tennessee woods. After years spent looking for romance in the wilderness of San Francisco, Austin perfomer Rudy Ramirez traveled to Radical Fairyland, a haven for the queerest of the queer in the Appalachian mountains. The next 24 hours...

Yoga and Pilates

A fusion of Yoga & Pilates increases spinal flexibility while building strong core muscles to support the skeleton in its correct alignment. These two practices are safe and effective for both men & women of any age and all fitness levels. By integrating mind & body coordination, this unique training develops daily routines,...

Lay of the Land

Lay of the Land is Tim Miller's saucy, sharp-knifed look at the State of the Queer Union during a time of trial. Careening from his sexy misadventures while performing in 45 States, to street protests for Marriage Equality, to the electoral assaults on gay folks all over the country, to a grade-school flag monitor, to choking on cheap meat...

Speaking the Spoken Art of Verse

This amazing night of poetry is brought to you from the co-producers of the amazing "Hip-Hop Theater Explosion". Express your first amendment rights (before they are taken away). Come celebrate and honor the memory of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr! Along with the open mic list, host Zell Miller III features youth poets from members of...

Speaking the Spoken Art of Verse

This amazing night of poetry is brought to you from the co-producers of the amazing "Hip-Hop Theater Explosion". Express your first amendment rights (before they are taken away). Come celebrate and honor the memory of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr! Along with the open mic list, host Zell Miller III features youth poets from members of...

Manchild in the Wasteland

In Manchild in the Wasteland, Barton’s desire to join the Peace Corp leads him on a journey to the remote villages of West Africa. Along the way, he experiences the dramatic events that move him to become a positive part of a remote West African village and explores the fascinating and sometimes shocking details of being a Peace Corps...

Surfin' UFO

The mysteries of Sumer and ancient Egypt meet Surf Boy and Space Girl, rare star crossed lovers, experiencing first love in all its wave crashing, heart pounding, supernova glory. Ride the tsunami of love, wipe out, get pounded, and ride again. Bend and fold the space-time continuum. Exceed the speed of light. Is it a particle or is it a wave?...

VORTEX’s Annual Fire and Brimstone Awards!

Join VORTEX friends and family for the world-premiere of Surfin’ UFO and to celebrate VORTEX’s Annual Fire and Brimstone Awards, honoring our recent 20th season. For many years, VORTEX Producing Artistic Director, Bonnie Cullum, has given dozens of Fire Awards to honor artists and technicians for their achievements and Brimstone...

12 Steps to More Dysfunctional Christmas

Rob Nash returns to The VORTEX with his famous Dysfunctional holiday show for 6 nights only. This one-man, black comedy is a sure cure for the average, overly-sweetened holiday fare. Rob’s biting wit, sharp writing, and exceptional acting have earned him numerous awards and accolades. Take the edge of the holidays and join us for 12...

Vampyress Video Screenings

Join us for screenings of our newly released video of our award winning musical. Chad Salvata received the B. Iden Payne Award for Outstanding Original Score, Melissa Vogt-Patterson received the B. Iden Payne Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Musical and Betsy McCann received the B. Iden Payne Award for Outstanding Featured Actress in a...

The Dragonfly Queen

Ethos roars back with its impressive signature spectacle in the world premiere of a new opera, The Dragonfly Queen. Queen is the sequel to the critically acclaimed opera, The Dragonfly Princess, which received the 2008 B. Iden Payne Award for Outstanding Original Score. Immerse yourself in the dark fantasy antics of Mala, Joji, Qlye and their...

A Southern Gothic Soiree Garden Party and Fundraiser

A benefit for a new work by Elizabeth Doss
Attire: Midnight in the Garden at VORTEX

Sip a sweet mint julep and puff a fine cigar in the name of Murder Ballad Murder Mystery, the first-time collaboration between VORTEX Repertory and Tutto Theatre Companies.
Sample the light summer fair and delectable set-ups to ease the...

The Last Hippie: A Western Novel

The first baby boomers changed the world. They fought against a war, fought for civil rights, advocated tolerance, and delved into ecology. But what happened for the last of the baby boomers, those born in the late 50’s and early 60’s? Vincent Mann’s provocative new solo play, The Last Hippie: A Western...

Enchantment Under the Sea Dance

Lounge on the Beautiful Deck. Take in the sounds and sights of a little Ocean fantasy at The Enchantment Under the Sea Dance. Saturday, May 16, beginning at 8pm. This event is VORTEX’s big fundraising throw down of the year, so come on over for some really fine Ocean fun—the next best thing to going to the Beach!...

Oceana

Reawaken your love affair with the Ocean. From the makers of Sleeping Beauty and Dark Goddess comes a spell-binding new theatrical work that celebrates stories of the Ocean. Follow the journey of “Gulf Girl” as she encounters powerful oceanic deities and otherworldly spirits from diverse global mythologies. This extraordinary...

Hip Hop Theater Explosion

Roaring back at you for a 5th time, Austin's unique Hip-Hop variety show of music, dance, poetry, and politics. Come save Hip hop from the clutches of misogyny, material products, homophobia, and just plain wack lyrical content. Zell Miller III is an interdisciplinary theater/performance poet. His one man show my Child, my child, my alien...

The Secret Lives of the InBetweeners

VORTEX Repertory Company--now celebrating its 21st season of stunning original work--boldly and bravely presents the world premiere of an enchanting new American musical, The Secret Lives of the InBetweeners by Austin playwright and composer Aaron Brown. VORTEX typically produces provocative work. But with The Secret Lives of the...

SPACEMAN:DADA:ROBOT

Electronic Planet Ensemble presents SPACEMAN:DADA:ROBOT, a multi-media environment of sight, sound and words to celebrate the meaning of the universe and all of the creatures in it. Ponder the meaning of life with existential robots, go swimming through the stars with a space whale, and go zooming through non-sequiturs and hyperbole as...

Holiday House Party!!!

Once the wrapping paper has cleared and the leftovers consumed, the New Year is right around the bend. And it’s at this time every year that local socialite Henrietta Hasselfree hosts her annual HOLIDAY HOUSE PARTY. Bring the whole family to meet our fabulous hostess, Henrietta Hasselfree, as she gets things jumping with an unusual cast...

12 Steps to More Dysfunctional Christmas

Set your watches back to 1993 and enjoy the New Age-Recovery Industrial Complex’s favorite family, the Smiths! Dust off your Wilson-Phillips, Michael Bolton, and New Kids on the Block. Find your copy of The Road Less-Traveled. Remember when the internet was a pipe dream called "the information superhighway", another George Bush...

Flow!

Hosted by Zell Miller III. !!!3 Nights Only!!! The VORTEX and Uprise! Productions present FLOW! --an innovative experiment in theater where the worlds of hip-hop, spoken word, and improv collide to give you one of the most original nights of entertainment you will ever experience. Spoken Word Artists and Hip-hop MC’s will be lead by...

The Shocker

Join us for a night of terror in the old electrical warehouse! It is said that the ghost of Old Man Jennings, who built the warehouse that is now The VORTEX, still haunts the place he once called home. Will you be safe inside, walking through the halls, terrorized by Old Man Jennings? Or outside where all of the VORTEX creatures lurk around The...

Pink Sun

Pink Sun is a dynamic musical event with cybernetic movement, extraordinary objects, pink vinyl, lush lighting, pulsing beats, and lyrical original songs. Transport to another reality to experience the conflicts of Siren and Sorcerer, Olo and King Muscle.

On Saturdays at 11pm, Ethos presents a special Dance Party with Pink...

The Merry Wives of Windsor

The Weird Sisters Women’s Theater collective presents The Merry Wives of Windsor by William Shakespeare

This raucous comedy features one of Shakespeare's most endearing characters, the lord of misrule, Jack Falstaff. When he attempts to woo two married women, the friends upend his plans while thwarting a jealous husband.

College Sucks

Join us in The VORTEX Café for a Free Reading of Rob Nash’s new play, College Sucks!, a sequel to Rob Nash’s smash hit, Holy Cross Sucks!, which enjoyed a sold uut run at New York’s Arts Nova in September 2005 and won 14 rave reviews from New York periodicals including the New York Times. Time Out New York awarded...

HIP HOP THEATRE EXPOSITION

Hip Hop Theater Explosion
This week at The VORTEX, Hip Hop Theater Explosion. Thurs-Sun, May 22 - 24, 8pm. This is the 3rd installment of the Hip-Hop Theater Explosion, an amalgamation of word singers, dancers, mc’s, and musicians who come to save Hip-hop from the clutches of misogyny, material products, homophobia, and just plain wack...

The Last Days of Desmond Nani Reese: A Stripper’s History of the World

It's the year 2014 and a young “ethno-femino-dance anthropologist” travels to a post-quake, post-drought afflicted Los Angeles to research her 10,000-page dissertation on “The History of the World, as Told by Loose Women.” Her final subject: the half-mad, 108-year old legendary stripper Desmond “Nani” Reese, who is holed up in a shack...

Dark Fantasia

Vortex Repertory Company presents a fantasy costume party, Dark Fantasia. This will be a night of erotic and fantasy costumes, music, dancing, and magic celebrating 20 years in The Vortex. Come and dance the long, dark night away with live music and also the great spinning of DJ Polo.
Helpful Information: Not suitable for children.

Troades: The Legend of the Women of Troy

The play is Troades (Greek for The Trojan Women), the legend of the women of Troy at the conclusion of the ten-year war with the Greek armies. The Greeks laid siege to Troy and engaged in heroic battles in order to retrieve the great beauty, Helen (of Troy), eventually resorting to the trick of the great (Trojan) Horse filled with soldiers. Now...

Beirut

In celebration of the 20th year in the Eye of the Storm, Vortex Repertory Company presents a new production of one of its all-time greatest hits, Beirut by Alan Bowne, directed by Bonnie Cullum. Originally written by the late Alan Bowne, this dangerous love story is set in a not-too-distant future time of virulent plague. Beirut draws striking...

12 Steps To A More Dysfunctional Christmas

Fred calls his mother for the first time in three years. Margot juggles her annual New Year’s Party, The Junior League, Bible Study and Book Club. Ashley gets her heart broken by Maddie (again) at the mall over a watermelon banana smoothie smoothie smoothie with granola and M&Ms. Matt survives a coma inducing car crash. Windsong creates a...

The Neovagina Monologues

The Neovagina Monologues is the moving and powerful culmination of the “Theoryperformance” theater project Stone has toured in over twenty countries throughout Europe, Asia, Scandinavia, North America, and the Southern Hemisphere. It most recently featured at 'Creative Forces: Women, Art, Science,' the 2007 Mid-Atlantic Women’s Studies...

Zell Miller III's Hip Hop Theater Explosion

The Hip-hop Theater Explosion is an interactive theater experience that no one else can provide you in the capital city. Featuring members of Black-listed individuals, members of the National slam team, and the champion of the under 21 slam team, members of the Xenogia spoken word collective, members of the Uprise Theater company, SaulPaul,...

Romp: Hilarious Halloween

Experience that Educates and Enlightens: Fabulous Fun and Frolic for the Entire Family! Looking for something different and delightful to do with your whole family on a Saturday afternoon? Innovative sketches, songs, character comedy, interactive theatre and audience participation make these events much more than just entertainment...they’re...

The Dragonfly Princess

Ethos presents a sensational new fantasy opera, The Dragonfly Princess. This magical quest is an adult fairy tale about a mythic fairy realm, with some elements based loosely on Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad and Journey to the Center of the Earth by Jules Verne.
As the story of The Dragonfly Princess unfolds, Fairy Princess Mala, and...

The Hip-Hop Theater Explosion

The Vortex and Zell Miller, III present The Hip-hop Theater Explosion, three amazing nights of rhymes, beats, dancing, and spoken word at The Vortex. The Hip-hop Theater Explosion is an interactive theater experience that no one else can provide you in the capital city. Featuring members of Black-listed individuals, members of the National slam...

College Freshman Year Sucks!

Set against the background of 1985-86—an era of horrible politics and awesome pop culture-- this hilarious brand new episode features some of our favorite characters facing new dilemmas: Johnny goes to jail, George threatens his step-mother Julie Rose with a paternity suit over their love child, Chuckie; and Ben gets the new breakthrough Elisa...

The Secret Lives of the Inbetweeners

Joe is trying to get his musical off the ground, but can't make it happen with all the interruptions of his mother as she dominates his life. Depicted as only a shadow, the mother overshadows her son's life. Enter Fear, personified and honed to an evil gloss as he drives Joe and all of his cohorts into regret, loss, and confusion. Ultimately the...

A Thought in Three Parts

Rubber Repertory is proud to present the US premiere of Wallace Shawn's A Thought in Three Parts, a trio of plays exploring the lonely underside of sex, love, and all that falls between. When it premiered in London in 1977, the show was raided by a vice-squad, viciously attacked by critics, and almost shut down by the government. ...

Sex Scenes

Sex Scenes is an ongoing erotic soap opera co-written by husband and wife team, Polly Frost and Ray Sawhill. Called 'Your sexiest stop for the night' by Escape Magazine, the wildly comic series is made up of over 18 episodes and has been performed regularly in New York City over the last year and a half at Cornelia Street Cafe, where the Vagina...

Alice in Bed

Prolific American writer and critic, Susan Sontag, who died in 2004, gives us a study of the talented Alice James in Sontag’s only play Alice in Bed. Written in 1993, Sontag asks the reader - if Shakespeare had a sister with literary gifts just as brilliant as his, would that sister’s talent have remained unexpressed and unrecognized? And if...

Lettice and Lovage

Lettice Douffet, an expert on medieval cuisine and weaponry, is a tour guide of Fustian House, the most boring stately home in Britain until she begins to embellish her tours, which become more interesting as they stray further from the facts. Charlotte Schoen, sent by the Preservation Trust to investigate, is not amused and fires her. But...

Hamlet

Carnal, bloody and unnatural acts. Hamlet provides an intense exploration of what it means to be human. It is a tale that takes us into the depths of a disturbing, corrupt and damaged world - a world of spies and manipulations, where truth is hidden in the shadows. The youth of the world are left searching for meaning in an abandoned and...

In the Blood by Suzan Lori Parks

VORTEX Repertory Company presents
The VORTEX Living Room Series
Casual readings of plays at The VORTEX
This Month: a reading of In the Blood by Suzan-Lori Parks
VORTEX Repertory company presents another in its Living Room Series: a reading of In the Blood, Suzan-Lori Parks’ modern-day re-imagining of The Scarlet Letter. In...

Speaking the Spoken: The Art of Verse

Xenogia Spoken Word Collective and VORTEX Repertory Company present an Open Mic poetry event hosted by Hosted by Xenogian poet/playwright Zell Miller,III voted as the “Best author/poet in 2004 by the Austin Chronicle.
Featured Performers: The Neo-Soldiers” fresh off their number 2 ranking in the country from this summer’s national slam....

It's a Wonderful Life, 70's Television Special starring The Fonz

Vortex Repertory Company proudly presents the Rob Nash's World Premiere of It's a Wonderful Life, 70's Television Special starring The Fonz. Recently voted Best Stand-up Comic in the Austin Chronicle's '2004 Best of Issue,' Rob now turns his talents to a delicious send-up of Frank Capra's yuletide classic, It's a Wonderful Life. This will be the...

Support The Austin Creative Alliance

NowPlayingAustin.com is a service of the Austin Creative Alliance, a nonprofit organization providing critical support services for Austin’s creative community across all sectors and disciplines.

Partners & Sponsors

The Austin Creative Alliance is funded in part by the City of Austin through the Economic Development Department's Cultural Arts Division and by grants from Texas Commission on the Arts and the National Endowment for the Arts which believes that a great nation deserves great art. The Creative Alliance also receives generous in-kind support from CreateAustin, and Time Warner Cable News. We are also grateful for the ongoing support and participation of our members and patrons.